Enrollment
637
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 260699004300
Columbia Central High School — Brooklyn, MI
Federal NCES profile for Columbia Central High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 43/100.
👥 Class size 21
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 58
📋 Attendance 63
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Columbia School District · Michigan
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.8:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
+9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
34.6%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
-36% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Columbia Central High School compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Columbia Central High School reports 637 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 33.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 9% above the Michigan state mean of 18.2:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 25% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 34.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 36% below the Michigan average and 33% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 212 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 14.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Columbia School District spends $12,941 per pupil district-wide, below the Michigan average of $15,842 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 40.7% from local sources (property taxes), 49.6% from the state, and 9.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Columbia Central High School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Michigan state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Michigan | Michigan avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 19.8:1 | ▲ 9% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 34.6% | ▼ 36% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 637 | top 85% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
34.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 36% below the Michigan average of 54.3%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
19.8:1
students per teacher
— 9% above state mean
Top 79% in Michigan — lower ratio than 21% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
14.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$12,941
per pupil, district-wide
— below Michigan avg of $15,842
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 212 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
24
in-school suspensions + 43 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 637 Top 85% in Michigan — larger than 15% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 33.0
Students per teacher 19.8:1 +9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 34.6% -36% vs state
NCES ID 260699004300
Student demographics
White 89.3%
Two or More 5.3%
Hispanic or Latino 3.9%
African American 0.9%
Asian 0.5%
Largest group: White at 89.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 4
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 212:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 14.8%
In-school suspensions 24
Out-of-school suspensions 43
Expulsions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Columbia School District, which includes Columbia Central High School.
$12,941
Per student
-18%
vs Michigan
Avg $15,842
-34%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 40.7%
State 49.6%
Federal 9.8%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 406
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Enrollment
- 307
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Enrollment
- 78
- Students per teacher
- 29.3:1
Similar other schools in Brooklyn
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Columbia Central High School
How many students attend Columbia Central High School?
Columbia Central High School has 637 students enrolled. It is a other school in BROOKLYN, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Columbia Central High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Columbia Central High School is 19.8:1, which is 9% higher than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 25% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Columbia Central High School?
34.6% of students at Columbia Central High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Columbia Central High School?
The largest demographic group at Columbia Central High School is White at 89.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in BROOKLYN, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Columbia Central High School?
Columbia Central High School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.